Knitting machine



W. LARKlN Nov. 8, 1932.

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed April 6. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet W. LARKINNov. 8, 1932.

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed April 6. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2w Q L Ia-525 1 application fled .lprfl 1987,

Patented Nov. 8, 1932 UNITED stares Pyram -osmos- WALTER mm, HOB-B18130,PENNSYLVANIA, 38816103 120 rmxu'rr comm, OI WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, AOOBPOBLTIOI 01' nmwm mrrmencmnf This invention relates to circular ribknitting machines, and particularly to actuating.

means for the welt mechanism of the machine.

The resent application constitutes a division 0 m co-pendin gapplication, Serial No. 181,5 filed April 6, 1927, Patent No. 1,841,249.I

The construction and operation of the m mechanism formingfthe subjectmatter of the present application will be fully disclosed hereinafter,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of suflicient of a rib knittin machineto illustrate .my

' invention as app 'ed thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken-on the line 22, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of go the welt-formingmechanism, the section being taken on the line 33, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44, Fig. 1, and showing thewelt-forming mechanism in inverted plan; and 25 Fig. 5 illustrates adetail of the mechanism.

Referring to the drawings:

The rib knitting machine comprises a bed plate 1, on the underside ofwhich is suitably mounted a hollow annular cylinder supportso ing member2. The cylinder supporting member 2 comprises a substantially circularvertical wall 3, which is secured to the bed platel by means of screws4, and a horizontal ase 5, which is provided with a circular opening 6.A base ring 7 is mounted on the horizontal base 5 within the cylindersuporting member 2, and has a depending flange 8 which lies within thecircular opening 6, functioning to maintain the said ring in axialalignment with the member 2. The base ring 7 is secured to the base 5 bymeans of screws 9, and is provided with an inwardly projecting circularflan e 10, having a circular opening 11 formed t erein, which axiallyaligns with the opening 6 of the member 2. A cylinder supporting ring 12fits within the opening 11, in the base ring 7, and is provided with anoutwardly projecting flange 13 which underlies the flange of the basering 7 and 50. is secured thereto by screws 14. The cylin- REISSUED mmIo. mm. mm m an application use was a, mo. Serial n. mm.

der rin 12 is also provided with a second mwar y projecting flange 15 inthe top of WhlCh is formed a circular de ,ression 16. The base of theneedle cylinder 1 fits within the depression 16, and is secured to thecylinder ring 12 :by means of screws 18. The cylinder 17, as usual, ishollow and is provided .on its outer face with vertical grooves 19forthe reception of the cylinder knitting needles 20. Thus it will beseen that through the mechanism just described the cylinder 17 isnon-rotatably supported on the bed plate 1 of the machine.

The bed plate 1 is provided with a circular openingu211 within which isrotatably mounted a cy der cam plate 22. The usual form of splitcylinder cam ring 23 is attached to the cam plate 22, in the usualmanner, and is adapted, with the said cam plate 22, to be rotated and inaxial alignment with the cylinder 17, for the purpose of operating thecylinder needles 20. The cam plate 22 is vertically and rotatablysupported by and on the base ring 7, and is circularly guided by a gearring 24 which surrounds the base ring 7 and is secured to the'cylindercam plate 22 by means of screws 25. The gear ring 24 lies within thehollow member 2, and projects under the bed plate 1 around the opening21 formed therein;

The gear ring 24 is operatively attached to the cylinder cam plate 22 bymeans of screws 25. Thus the cylinder cam plate is rotatabl mountedwithin the opening 21 of the be plate 1, but is held against verticalaxial movemlent by the gear ring 24 underlying said bed ate.

P The machine is provided with a needle dial .40 secured to the lowerend of and non-rotatably supported by a stationary dial post 38.

The dial plate 40 is provided with the usual radially disposed grooves41 for the reception of the dial needles 42, each of which is adapted tobe projected radially between each adjacent pair of cylinder needles 20,in the usual manner.

A dial. cam plate is rotatably mounted above the dial plate 40, and isprovided with the usual dial cams 43 and dial needle switch 44 for theoperation of the dial needles 42. 10

The dial cam plate 45 is secured to the lower end of tubular shaft 46which is axially aligned with and revolves around the stationary dialpost 38.

The dial cam 45 and cylindercam ring 23 are adapted to be rotated inunison by means forming no part of the present invention per Synchronousrotation of the cylinder cam 6 plate 22, which carries the cam ring 23and the dial cam plate 45, with its associated dial needle cams, willoperate the dial and cylinder needles in the usual manner to formcircular knit ribbed foundation fabric, when a thread is properly fedthereto.

, In view of the fact that the particular class of goods for which thismachine is adapted is stocking tops, I provide the machine withwelt-forming mechanism which comprises means for operating the needleswitch 44 on the dial cam plate 45. As there is no invention in the weltitself, specific reference thereto will be omitted, the descriptionbeing limited to the apparatus that controls the dial needle switchwhich, together with the usual welt-forming operation of the cylinderneedles, effects the formation of a conventional form of welt.

The dial needle switch 44 is pivoted at 205 to the underside of the dialcam plate 45 and is provided with a post 206 which projects through aslot 207 formed in the cam plate 45. The switch is movable to threedifferent ositions, in one of which the post 206 occuples a position atone end of the slot 207, in another the post occupies a position midwaybetween the extreme ends of the slot and in the third position the post206 occupies a position at the extreme opposite end of the slot 207. Aspring-pressed pointed plunger 208 holds the post in any one of thethree positions to which it may be moved, bearing against the oppositesides of the post when in the extreme positions and the point of theplunger entering a depression 209 in the post 206 when it is in its midposition, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. I

The dial switch 44 is adapted to be operated by means of a pair ofsuperposed operating bars 210, 211 which are slidably mounted in astationaryguide member 212. The slide bar 210 carries a groovedsegmental member 213 into the arcuate groove 214 of which the upper endof the post 206 is adapted to pass when the dial cam plate 45 rotates.Each of the slide bars 210 and 211 is provided with a pin 215, each ofwhich is adapted to enter an aperture 216 formed in each side of a ring216a which pivots around the tubular shaft 46, see Fig. 2 so that whenone ofthe slide bars is moved in one direction the other slide bar willbe moved in the opposite direction and the switch post 206 being at suchtime within the groove 214 in the member 213, which is attached to oneof the slide bars, will be movedto carry the switch 44 in one of itspositions, as the case may be.

The slide bars 210 and 211 are each engaged at one of their ends by alever 217 and 218 respectively, which are respectivel secured to theupper ends of oscillating s afts 219 and 220, pivotally mounted in andprojecting vertically from the cylinder cam ring 23. These two shaftsare operatively connected at their opposite ends by gears 221 and 222and areeach provided with a second arm 223 and 224 ad acent the said'ears. The lever 223 is provided with an undercut 225 which produces ineffect a lever of two different lengths. The levers-223, 224 and theundercut 225 are adapted .to be engaged by the usual form of bob-disc226 which is vertically slidably mounted in the bed plate 1 of themachine adjacent the p riphery of the cylinder cam plate 22 andpermitted to rotate freely about its own axis.

The bob-disc 226 is adapted to be moved to various elevations, bymechanism forming no part of the present invention per se, for thepurpose of engaging the levers 223, 224, 225,

to effect the positioning of the dial needle switch 44 correctly and atthe proper times in the various positions necessary to guide the dialneedles in the way to form the regular welt edge and dividing coursecommonly produced on circular rib knitting machines.

I claim:

1. In a circular rib knitting machine, the combination, with the dialcam of said machine which includes a needle switch, of an actuatingelement for said switch normally disconnected from said switch, meansfor op eratively interlocking said switch and said actuating elementthroughout a predetermined angle of a cycle of relative rotationbetween. the said cam and-the said switch-actuating element, and meansfor operating said actuating element to operate the switch relative tothe cam during the said eriod of interlock between the switch and t eactuatingelement therefor.

2. In a circular rib knitting machine, the

combination, with the rotary dial cam of said machine which includes aneedle switch of a non-rotatable actuating element for said switchnormall disconnected from said switch, means or operativelyinterlockingsaid switch and said actuating element throughout apredetermined angle of a cycle of relative rotation between the said camand the said switch-actuating element, and means rotatable in unisonwith said dial cam and adapted to engage said actuating element duringthe said period of interlock for operatin said actuating element tooperatethe switc relative 'to the cam during the said period ofinterlock between the switch and the actuating element therefor.

3. In a circular rib knitting machine, the

ring and the rotary dial cam of said machine, .said dial cam including aneedle switch, of a non-rotatable actuating element for said switchnormally disconnected from said switch, means for operativelyinterlocking said switch and said actuating element throughout apredetermined angle of relative rotation between the dial cam and theswitch actuating element, means carried by the said rotary cylinder camring adapted to engage said actuating element for operation of saidswitch during the said period of interlock between the switch and itsactuatin element, and means disposed in a relatively %xed position withrespect to said rotary elements adapted to engage the last said meansfor effecting operation of the switch-actuating element during saidperiod of interlock.

4. In a circular rib knitting machine, the combination with the dial camof said machine which includes a needle switch element, of an actuatingelement for and normally disconnected from said switch element, aprojection on one of said elements, an open jaw on the other of saidelements adapted to receive and interlock with the said projectionthroughout a redetermined angle of a cycle of rotation 0 one of saidelements relative to the other of said elements about an axis common toboth of said elements, and means for operating said actuating element toefiect operation of said switch element during said period of interlockbetween the projection and the open jaw.

5. In a circular rib knitting machine, the combination with the dial camof said machine which includes a needle switch element, of an actuatingelement for and normally disconnected from said switch element, aprojection on one of said elements, an open jaw on the other of saidelements adapted to receive and interlock with the said projectionthroughout a predetermined angle of a cycle of rotation of one of saidelements relative to the other of said elements about an axis common toboth of said elements, a reversin member for and operatively connectedto sai actuating element, and means adapted to selectively engage saidactuating element or said reversing member to move said switch intopredetermined relation to said cam during said period of interlockbetween the projection and the open jaw.

6. In a circular rib knitting machine, the combination with the dial camof said machine which includes a needle switch element, of an actuatingelement for and normally disconnected from said switch element, aprojection on one of said elements, an' open jaw on the other of saidelements adapted to receive the said projection throughout apredetermined angle of a cycle of rotation of one of said elementsrelative to the other of said elements about an axis common to both ofsaid elements, a I8V g member for said actuating member movablesubstantially parallel to said actuating member, a lever element pivotedwith respect to said cam at a oint intermediate the actuating element anits reversing member and operatively connected at the opposite sides ofits fulcrum to said actuating element and said reversing memberrespectively, and means adapted to selectively engage said actuatingelement or said reversing member to move said switch into predeterminedrelation to said cam during said period of interconnection.

7. In a circular rib knitting machine, the

combination with the dial cam of said machine which includes a needleswitch element, of an actuating element for and normally disconnectedfrom said switch element, a projection on one of said elements, an openjaw on the other of said elements adapted to receive the said projectionthroughout a predetermined angle of a cycle of rotation of one WALTERLARKIN.

